Automatic night or pilot light



H. D. LYLE 2,289,027

AUTOMATIC NIGHT OR PILOT LIGHT Filed Feb. 18, 1941 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented July 7, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC NIGHT R PILOT LIGHT Henry D. Lyle, Sioux City, Iowa Application February 18, 1941, Serial No. 379,526

1 Claim. (Ql. 240-2) My invention relates to new and useful improvements in door operated lamp switch constructions.

An important object of my invention is the provision of a lamp switch which may be attached to a door and door frame, which switch is adapted to be automatically closed to illuminate the lamp upon closing of the door and to be automatically opened to extinguish the lamp when the door is opened.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a lamp switch of the above-mentioned character wherein the operating switch is unique in its construction to provide a dependable and emcient means for automatically opening and closing the circuit to the lamp.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a lamp switch of the above-mentioned character that includes a readily accessible manually operated switch which may be operated to render the lamp inoperative during the day time or during such other periods of time as it may be found expedient to maintain an open circuit to the lamp.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawing, forming a part of this specification, and wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure l is a perspective view of a lamp switch construction embodying my invention, and showing the same mounted on a door and door casing,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same,

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view showing parts broken away of the lamp receiving base member embodying a part of my invention,

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line Al- 1 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional View of a companion base member embodying a part of my invention, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a pair of contacts embodying a part of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration, is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral I0 designates a door casing enclosing the door II, which door is hingedly supported therein in the conventional manner. My lamp switch construction finds particular utility for use in connection with a door and door casing and I have, therefore, shown the same as being mounted on the casing ii! and the door H. Other applications of the switch will become obvious during the course of 55 the following description; however, in order that a practical situation may be graphically represented I have here depicted the same as being associated with the door and door casing.

The numeral [2 designates a lamp receiving base member which comprises an essentially cylindrical body I3 provided at one end with laterally extending flanges l4 and at the other end thereof with a longitudinally extending neck l5 of substantially lesser diameter. A passage I6 extends axially through the base member and opens into an essentially larger recess I! in the bottom I8 thereof. The flanges M are provided with screw receiving openings 19 which permit the screws 20 to be passed therethrough and imbedded in the door II to hold the base securely attached thereto. As best illustrated in Figure 1, the base is preferably mounted adjacent the upper edge of the door. It is immaterial at what point between the vertical sides of the door that the base is located, however, for the purpose of the present invention it should be positioned but a slight distance below the upper horizontal edge thereof.

The portion of the passage l5 opening through the outer end 2| of the neck 15 is of slightly lesser diameter than the inner portion thereof which opens into the recess I1 and a lamp base receiving socket 22 is snugly fitted therein. The socket is screw-threaded in the conventional manner and the transverse bottom wall 23 thereof is arranged at substantially the juncture of the reduced outer portion of the passage with the relatively larger inner portion thereof.

An electric current is conducted to the side wall of the socket by the contact strip 24. As best illustrated in Figure 4, the end 25 of the strip is firmly wedged between the wall of the passage and the outer surface of the socket. From this point the strip extends longitudinally in pressed engagement with the wall of the passage and the opposite end 26 thereof extends into the recess H, which end is bent laterally to overlie the shoulder 21 formed by the juncture of the recess with the central passage and is securely held in fixed association therewith by the screw 62.

In order that current may be conducted to the end contact of the bulb I have provided a pin 28 which extends centrally through the end wall 23 of the socket to engage the end of the bulb. The grommet 29 of rubber, or the like, encloses the portion of the pin which extends through the socket and electrically insulates the same therefrom. A contact 30 carried by the pin 28 below the end wall of the socket is electrically insulated from the socket b the insulating strip 3|, which contact includes an essentially fiat strip 32 and a laterally disposed spring arm 34. The strip 32 contains a central opening 33 for receiving the shank of the pin 28 and the spring arm 34 is connected to the strip 32 by a common edge at one end thereof. The portion of the spring arm not connected to the strip is bent downwardly and laterally and the connected ends of the spring arm and strip are bent downwardly to provide an abutment 35 which acts as a stop for the toggle switch 36.

The switch 35 includes a substantially U- shaped metal conductor 31 the ends of which are pivotally secured within the opening 38 by the pivot pin 43 which opening 38 extends through the side wall of the base and into the inner end of the passage I6 slightly below the end wall of the socket 22. The conductor extends into the passage I8 and the base portion thereof is provided with an upstanding lug 39 which receives one end of the coil spring 40. The other end of the spring seats against the shank 4| which extends inwardly from the toggle lever 32 pivoted to the bolt 43 between the arms of the conductor. The toggle lever is formed of any suitable dielectric material and it extends radially from the base in a manner to be accessible for manual actuation about the pin 43. Movement of the lever in one direction will cause the spring 45 to swing the conductor 31 about the pin and into engagement with the abutment 35 which abutment thus engages the conductor to limit its movement in the mentioned direction. If, however, the toggle lever is moved in the opposite direction the spring will be compressed until the shank 4| passes between the spaced arms of the conductor. As the shank moves through the conductor the spring will move slightl about the end of the shank and pivot about the lug 39 to accommodate itself to this movement. Obviously, after the shank has moved through and beyond the conductor the spring will act against the swinging end of the conductor in a difierent direction to snap the same away from the abutment 35 and into engagement with the depending spring arm 34.

Movement of the conductor in the last-named direction is limited by the upturned end 44 of the contact strip 45, The opposite end 46 of this strip is secured to the shoulder 21 by the bolt 4! in diametrically opposed relation to the end 26 of the contact strip 24. From the attaching bolt the strip extends radially into the passage for substantially the entire diameter thereof'but terminates a sufficient distance from the contact strip 24 to prevent arcing therebetween when an electric current is passed therethrough. The strip is bent back upon itself, as best illustrated in Figure 6, to provide an essentially resilient spring arm 48 which frictionally engages the bottom arm portion of the conductor 31. The free end of the spring arm carries theabutment 44 to limit the travel of the conductor in the lastmentioned direction. Thus, when the toggle lever is moved to position the conductor in engagement with the abutment 35 no current may flow between the contacts 30 and 45 but when the lever is actuated to position the conductor in engagement with the abutment 44 the frictional engagement thereof with the spring arms 34 and 48 will close a circuit therebetween.

In order to supply current to the above contacts I have provided a companion base member 49 which includes a cylindrical body 50 having laterally extending base flanges 5], each provided with an opening 52 for receiving the screws 53. The base member 49 is adapted to be mounted to the door casing directly above the base member l2 and the outer end 54 thereof extends angularly in a direction away from the base l2. Spaced parallel passages or recesses 55 open through the angular end face 54 and a spring contact 56 is disposed within each of the recesses. The ends of the passages opening through the bottom 5! of the base are enlarged to provide shoulders 58,and the inner ends of the contacts overlie the shoulders and are secured thereto by the bolts59. The terminal end of the condu-ctor wires 60 are connected to the bolts 59 and the opposite ends thereof are connected in any suitable electrical outlet.

In order that current carried to the contacts 55 by the conductor 68 may be conducted to the contact strips 24 and 4.5 in the door carried base member I2, I have provided a pair of electrically insulated contact arms 6!. One of the arms 6| is connected to the inner end 2! of the contact 24 by the bolt 62 and the other of the arms 6! is connected to the end 46 of the strip 45 by the bolt 41,. The arms Bl extend from the inner passage of the body l3 through openings 63 in the top thereof, and the exteriorly projecting portions incline upwardly and forwardly from the body. The upper ends of the arms are bent rearwardly to extend in axial alignment with the passa s 55 and the extremities thereof are provided with contact elements 64 which are adapted to be received within the passages and to engage with the spring contacts 56. When the door is opened the contact arms will be withdrawn from the passage 55 and no current may flow therethrough. When the door is closed, however, the terminal ends of the arms will enter the passages for engagement of the contact elements 64 with the contacts 55, as described.

The light bulb 65 is threaded into the socket 22 in the conventional manner and the base of the shade 66 is essentially resilient to snap about the neck portion of the base and, if desired, it may be provided with inturned lugs which engage Within the annular groove 6'! of the neck to securely hold the shade in association therewith.

When the lamp switch construction is mounted on the door and door casing in the manner described, the bulb will be automatically illuminated each time the door is closed. This is particularly advantageous in rooms where the conventional switch is disposed a substantial distance from the door. The bulb 65 is small and is preferably adapted to be in the nature of a pilot light rather than to comprise the sole means of illumination. A light of this nature will prevent needless and often irritating searching in the dark for a switch and if attached to the door of a childs room will aid in allaying the childs natural fear of the dark. The arrangement possesses further utility in this connection in that a child may easily illuminate the bulb 65 by the mere expediency of closing the door. Conventional light switches are generally placed above the reach of small children and the incorporation of the present construction on the door will compensate for this condition.

During the day time or such other intervals during the day when the light is not needed the toggle lever 42 may be pivoted to position the Q dl QtOl" 36 e m n w th h ab tmen 35 to break the circuit between the contacts 39 and 45. The door may then be opened and closed without the switch being rendered operative; however, in the evening or other time when it is desired that the switch be operative, the toggle lever may be pivoted to position the conductor 36 in engagement with the contacts 30 and 45 whereupon opening and closing of the door will effect breaking or closing of the circuit to illuminate or extinguish the bulb 65.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In an electric lamp, a base member adapted to be secured to and adjacent the upper edge of a swinging door and including a substantially cylindrical body, a light bulb socket opening through the front of the body, means extending laterally from the rear of the body to receive fastening means for securing the base member to the door with the body extending horizontally therefrom, contact arms having one of their ends secured within the body, means for electrically connecting the secured ends to the bulb socket. said arms extending through the top of the body at a forward inclination and terminating in rearwardly bent upper ends, contact elements secured to said upper ends, a companion base member adapted to be mounted on the upper portion of the door frame and provided with a pair of spaced parallel passages extending longitudinally therethrough, spring contacts secured within the passages, and means formed on said companion base member to receive means for securing the same to the frame with the passages arranged to receive said contact elements for engagement of the latter with the spring contacts for closing a circuit to the bulb socket.

HENRY D. LYLE. 

